you know you are in for trouble when.....

Nurses General Nursing

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I was just thinking about the family of a recent admission.We knew we were in trouble when we met the adult children. The #1 contact had tardive dyskinesia and it quickly became clear that reasoning with this person would not be possible. We were taken aback a when we saw the list of meds which he provided. Narcotics,benzos galore. It seems that if his mom couldn't sleep he would just pop her a second ambien and if that failed another klonopin was given. If her back pain did not respond to "vikadin" he had plenty of ms contin handy. A days worth of thorazine was her regular bedtime routine.

It was also apparent that the full time care giver/crack ho was under the influence of something-possibly some of her patient's meds? A few days ago the social worker received a call from the same son-seems mom's social security check did not arrive.He just could not understand that it goes to the home now.

What kinds of things strike fear into your heart when you first encounter a new admission or their significant others?

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

You know you're in trouble when:

  1. "Narcan" is listed as an allergy. (I always tell them if I can't reverse it, I can't give a narcotic. This usually provokes screaming, swearing, and a fast AMA exit).
  2. The first sentence in report is, "Unfortunately, this 103 yr old pt is NOT a DNR."
  3. The second sentence is, "this is their 3rd trip out of the unit, they have been on a vent 3x this admission."
  4. The offgoing nurse says, "I'm back tomorrow, but I do NOT want room X back."
  5. There is a large note on the front of the chart: "Doc says pt can leave AMA at any time, don't call him" and there's an AMA form started on the front of the chart.
  6. The ER calls up to ask for a bed and when the unit secretary hears the name, she starts banging her head on the desktop, moaning, "No, we had her last time...."
  7. The pt is in the ER, requesting "her room" back -- and insisting we turn the dying 99 year old with the 10 family members out so she can have the room she likes because it's close to the stairs so she can go out and smoke.
  8. ER calls for a room assignment, and says, "this one's going to be a handful. He bites."

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

Your unit is constantly bombarded by "suits", I mean Board members, kowtowing to one family and you're the one stuck with patient.

Your patient (I work Peds) has a blood alcohol level I have yet to achieve and wants to know when the meds will wear off. If I told him once, I told him 15 times all the meds have worn off. You're still drunk and that's why you feel so funny. Oh, and all those benzos you took too. Glad you skipped the pot over the weekend.

The family doesn't want precious princess in pain and absolutely no itching or scratching is allowed. Mom was sure princess was reacting to a med (vanc). Tried as hard as I could to see any red, but alas, none. Oh, would you give her more benadryl, on top to the 50mg she just got 30 minutes ago.

--it takes a whole family of 5 to have a complete set of teeth.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab,Med/Surg, OB/GYN, Ortho, Neuro.

You know you're in trouble when family member loudly informs anyone within earshot "I personally know XYZ (insert name of suit-type person)"

When you call the doc about pt A, doc says "By the way, I'm sending you pt PIA. Sorry about that, but I had to get her out of my office." Let me say, the Italian dinner he bought us, sooooo did not make up for that admission.

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Getting report from the ED: "24 year old male was polishing his handgun when..."

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Specializes in Staff nurse.
You know when you are in for trouble when:

The first family member you meet apologizes in advance for the behavior of family members yet to come.....

I've called and talked to my family member's nurse and first thing I usually do is apologise for the behavior of a particular family member who will be there more frequently than I can be. I then give "survival tips" to the nurse to pass along with report. Just doing my duty as a fellow nurse.

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

This is one fun thread! I really needed the laugh therapy todat

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Specializes in LTC, geriatric, psych, rehab.
This is one fun thread! I really needed the laugh therapy todat

I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed it! It got me started off this morning on what felt like such a tough day. Got to work, and things got bad again, even if I did have on my big girl panties. So I got on the computer and read these posts again, just to have another laugh. "Code Brown" got my best laugh. How many times at the nursing home I've walked into that!!!:yeah:

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

1. You get paperwork for a new patient and highlighted in the history is 'He spent 3 years in XYZ State Hospital, where he nearly bludgeoned a nurse to death with a shower nozzle hidden in a sock'....GREAT...can't WAIT to meet him!:up:

2. You pick up the phone for report from the ER and the nurse on the other end says 'We've already given him 100mg Benadryl and 10mg Haldol AND he's in 4-point leathers and a spit mask...'

3. You get a call from the front desk receptionist who says 'XYZ is here and he says he wants to throw you out the window...do you want to see him or not?':D

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Coming on here makes me feel closer to people that truly understand me . LOLOL It is a great feeling to have again. I feel thay AN gives the nurses a message that they are not alone and can come in here and share issues and have their peers understand what they are dealing with, whether it be emotional, spiritual, or even financial. I thank-you all for being a nursing friend to people of like mind.

TuTonka

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And, whats really bad... often they are lying about the "I used to be a nurse thing."

Often? :D

They may once have volunteered in HS to go to a LTC, or went to CNA classes (never finished of course).

In the old comedy, "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," a "junior executive" was defined as any male in an office who sits down.

The equivalent for the "I used to be a nurse" set is any female who was once inside a hospital for any reason.

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Report starts with:

-the family isn't all onboard with hospice

-the family says they will sue if morphine is given

-the DPOA wants to follow the patent's wishes, but the sister out west (who hasn't seen the patient in 10 years) wants to continue aggresive treatment. She is flying in tomarrow.

This is when it helps to have plenty of PTO in the bank, so you can be off tomorrow. :D

Having an alcoholic friend of the alcoholic Pt (the friend was already booted out of the Pt's LTC for being threatening and disruptive to staff) say they are going to kill you if you give Haldol.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

"We really couldn't afford you, when we hired you".

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